(DCWatchdog.com) – US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has vowed continued American support for pro-Western Ukraine, which has been fighting a full-scale Russian invasion for nearly 15 months.
Speaking at a press conference during a visit to Jerusalem, Israel, McCarthy refuted a suggestion by a Russian reporter that he was against US military aid for Ukraine.
The Republican House Speaker emphasized his view that the United States should keep helping the Ukrainians, and the Russians should pull out all of their troops from the country.
“I vote for aid for Ukraine; I support aid for Ukraine,” McCarthy declared at a news conference, as cited by The Hill and Newsmax.
“I do not support what your country has done to Ukraine. I do not support your killing of the children either. You should pull out, and I don’t think it’s right,” the speaker insisted.
“We will continue to support, and I think the rest of the world sees it just as it is,” added the California Republican.
He has previously insisted that military aid to Ukraine should not be guided by “black checks” and that the GOP majority in the US House of Representatives would subject that to intense scrutiny.
According to the US Department of State, the United States has provided Ukraine with $35 billion in security assistance since Putin’s Russia invaded its neighbor on February 24, 2022.
The American aid has been instrumental in helping the Ukrainians survive Moscow’s onslaught, and Ukraine is presently preparing a major counteroffensive thanks to the heavy weaponry it has received from Western nations.
McCarthy’s remarks came amid Republican attempts to force Democrats to agree to spending cuts as part of a deal to up the debt ceiling. The GOP seeks to slash discretionary spending by $130 billion in 2024 and $4.8 trillion over the next ten years.
A day earlier, in his speech in the Knesset, the Israeli legislature, McCarthy declared that America would continue to provide Israel with military aid for as long as he is the House Speaker.
In the 2023 fiscal year, the United States is giving $3.3 billion in security assistance to its Middle Eastern ally, according to a Bloomberg report.
In Jerusalem, McCarthy also told reporters he was still waiting to hear from President Joe Biden about conducting budget negotiations.
Last week, the GOP majority in the House passed the Republican borrowing limit plan, which provides for hiking the debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion in exchange for $4.8 trillion in budget cuts over the next decade.
Unless the limit is increased, the US government could default on its debts as early as June.
Do you agree or disagree with McCarthy’s support of Ukraine? Please share your opinion by emailing [email protected]. Thank you!
